Anti-digging snow-plow bar

ABSTRACT

An adjustable plow bar for a snow-plow blade, which is fastened to the plow blade to reduce digging into soft road surfaces, includes a bar having two side edges and a front edge substantially equal in length to the length of the plow blade, and mounting posts attached to the upper surface of the bar for mounting the bar to the plow and for adjusting the bar relative to the plow blade. The length of the bar distributes the weight of the plow evenly along length of the blade, and the front edge of the bar is beveled on the underside, which prevents the front edge from digging. Preferably the side edges of the bar also are beveled on the underside thereof, and the composition of the bar includes an abrasion-resistant material, such as tungsten carbide and other hard carbides.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention pertains to the field of excavation or snow removal. More particularly, the invention pertains to a plow bar for a snow-plow blade, which is fastened to the plow blade to reduce digging into soft road surfaces.

2. Description of the Related Art

The concept of snow plow runners or skid plates to hold a snow-plow blade a predetermined distance from the roadway is old in the art. One type of commonly used snow-plow runner includes of a pair of wear plates composed of a high abrasion-resistant steel or iron mounted at each end of the plow. The purpose of the wear plates is to make contact with the abrading surface of the roadway and hold the snow-plow blade off the roadway as the blade passes over the roadway, which typically is asphalt or concrete. Since the road surfaces are quite abrasive to provide tire traction, the runners wear relatively rapidly. To prevent undue wear on the blade, typically the runners are smaller than the blades and less costly to replace than the blades. The runners thus reduce the wear that the blades encounter and offer the advantage of being less expensive to replace than the blade, thereby extending its useful life. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,756,102 and 4,500,766 disclose various examples of snow-plow runners for supporting the blade of a snow-plow above the abrasive surface of a roadway.

One type of commonly used snow-plow skid plate or shoe includes a plate-like pad arranged to engage the ground and connected to the rear of the moldboard by a suitable bracket. Different kinds of plates have been used, including circular as well as rectangular shapes. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,607,781, 4,450,635 and 4,346,528 disclose various examples of skid shoes for a snow-plow blade, which are mounted close to the cutting edge of the blade for reducing the abrasive action on the cutting edge of the blade, thereby prolonging its life.

Since the skids tend to wear out, along with the ground-contacting surface of the blades, attempts have been made to utilize wear resistant materials for the plates to reduce such wear. Thus, tungsten carbide and other hard carbides have been applied to the bottoms of the pads to resist wear due to the friction resulting from engaging and rubbing upon the ground during plowing. U.S. Pat. No. 7,836,615 to Winter discloses abrasion resistant wear resistors for the wear surfaces of expendable and replaceable wear parts.

It also is known in the art to provide caster-like wheels or rollers, which are rotatably attached to, but spaced from, the plow moldboard for the purpose of supporting part of the load on the blade. These devices are relatively bulky, expensive to manufacture, and difficult to install on the snow plow. The caster-like wheels frequently jam or flatten and are expensive to maintain and replace. Further, these devices require regular adjustment, lubrication, and permit debris and the like to lodge or jam between their supporting structure and the moldboard.

One problem in the field of snow plowing not addressed in the prior art, which remains an issue, occurs when plowing over lawns, gravel, soil and soft ground, such as when the temperature rises above freezing and the surface thaws. Under these conditions, even just the weight of the plow causes the blade to dig into whatever soft surface is under the snow being removed. The obvious solution is merely to raise the plow a bit, however, this can be difficult on uneven surfaces and results in snow being left behind on the ground. Although most snow-plows have a pair of skid shoes arranged on either end, which are intended to support the plow blade just above the road surface, this does not solve the problem. The skid shoes still drag on the surface, leaving two strips across the area being plowed. Thus, when plowing over lawns, gravel, soil and other soft or unfrozen surfaces, in the springtime it becomes necessary to repair the damage caused by the skid shoes. This entails additional cost, time and adversely affects customer relations.

Therefore, unfrozen or soft ground continues to be extremely difficult to plow cleanly, without damaging the surface. Thus, there is a continuing need in the art for methods and apparatus suitable for preventing a snow-plow blade from damaging the road surface, when plowing lawns, gravel, soil and other soft or unfrozen surfaces.

The problem with all of the prior art solutions is the fact the full weight of a very heavy plow is supported only by two relatively small skid plates. This inventor has discovered that placing supports at each end of the plow is not the answer; the proper solution is to displace the weight of the plow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Provided herein is novel apparatus and methods for preventing a snow-plow blade from damaging the road surface, when plowing lawns, gravel, soil and other soft or unfrozen surfaces, thus overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art.

Briefly stated, methods and apparatus are provided for preventing a snow-plow blade from damaging the road surface, when plowing lawns, gravel, soil and other soft or unfrozen surfaces.

In one embodiment, an adjustable plow bar for a snow-plow blade is provided, which is fastened to the plow blade to reduce digging into soft road surfaces, including a bar having two side edges and a front edge substantially equal in length to the length of the plow blade, and mounting posts attached to the upper surface of the bar for mounting the bar to the plow and for adjusting the bar relative to the plow blade. The length of the bar distributes the weight of the plow evenly along length of the blade, and the front edge of the bar is beveled on the underside, which prevents the front edge from digging. Preferably the side edges of the bar also are beveled on the underside thereof, and the composition of the bar includes an abrasion-resistant material, such as tungsten carbide and other hard carbides.

The invention provides the unique advantage of preventing a snow-plow blade from damaging the road surface, when plowing lawns, gravel, soil and other soft or unfrozen surfaces, using a novel technique, which previously was unavailable. These and other features and advantages will become readily apparent from the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale, with the emphasis instead placed upon the principles of the present invention. Additionally, each of the embodiments depicted are but one of a number of arrangements possible utilizing the fundamental concepts of the present invention. The drawings are briefly described as follows.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of an adjustable plow bar for a snow-plow in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a side-view of the cross-section of the plow bar of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a rear-view of the cross-section of the plow bar of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description relates to certain preferred embodiments of an apparatus and method for preventing a snow-plow blade from damaging the road surface, when plowing lawns, gravel, soil and other soft or unfrozen surfaces. Numerous variations and modifications, other than those specifically indicated herein, will be readily apparent to those of sufficient skill in the art. In addition, certain terms are used throughout the discussion in order to provide a convenient frame of reference with regard to the accompanying drawings, such as “top”, “bottom”, and the like. However, such terms are not intended to be specifically limiting of the invention, except where so indicated in the claims.

The invention provides novel technology for preventing a snow-plow blade from damaging the road surface, when plowing lawns, gravel, soil and other soft or unfrozen surfaces, overcoming the disadvantages of the available technology currently used. The equipment is simple, inexpensive and almost maintenance-free.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an embodiment of an adjustable plow bar for a snow-plow blade is shown, in accordance with the invention. The plow bar is fastened to the snow-plow blade to reduce digging into soft road surfaces. The adjustable plow bar 10 includes a bar 110 having two side edges 150 and a front edge 120 substantially equal in length to the length of the plow blade, and mounting posts 130 attached to the upper surface of the bar 110 for mounting the bar to the plow and for adjusting the bar relative to the plow blade. The length of the bar distributes the weight of the plow evenly along length of the blade, and the front edge of the bar is beveled 125 on the underside, which prevents the front edge 120 from digging. Preferably the side edges 150 of the bar also are beveled 155 on the underside thereof, and the composition of the bar includes an abrasion-resistant material, such as tungsten carbide and other hard carbides. The mounting posts include drilled holes for a lynchpin, allowing the adjustable plow bar to fit into the existing mounting brackets for the original shoes and keep the plow blade from contacting the ground. The bar can be adjusted relative to the blade using a spacer 140. This prevents the plow from digging into the ground, while the plow bar slides over the mud, grass and gravel smoothly. By displacing the weight of the plow evenly over the length of the blade, the plow bar provides a wider footprint on the ground, preventing unwanted digging into the surface.

The present invention thus provides the advantage of preventing a snow-plow blade from damaging the road surface, when plowing lawns, gravel, soil and other soft or unfrozen surfaces. The invention has numerous applications in the field of excavation and snow-removal, as well as many others.

It is to be understood that the architectural and operational embodiments described herein are exemplary of a plurality of possible arrangements to provide the same (or equivalent) general features, characteristics, and general system operation. Therefore, while there have been described the currently preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and it is intended to claim all modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, it must further be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An adjustable plow bar for a snow-plow blade, comprising: a bar having two side edges and a front edge substantially equal in length to the length of the plow blade; mounting means attached to an upper surface of the bar for mounting the bar to the plow; and means for adjusting the bar relative to the plow blade; wherein the bar distributes the weight of the plow evenly along length of the blade.
 2. The adjustable plow bar of claim 1, wherein the front edge of the bar is beveled on the underside thereof.
 3. The adjustable plow bar of claim 2, wherein the side edges of the bar are beveled on the underside thereof.
 4. The adjustable plow bar of claim 2, wherein the bar comprises an abrasion-resistant metal, alloy or composite material.
 5. The adjustable plow bar of claim 2, wherein the adjusting means comprises one or more spacers engaged with the mounting means.
 6. The adjustable plow bar of claim 3, wherein the bar comprises an abrasion-resistant metal, alloy or composite material.
 7. The adjustable plow bar of claim 3, wherein the adjusting means comprises one or more spacers engaged with the mounting means.
 8. The adjustable plow bar of claim 1, wherein the front edge of the bar is beveled on the underside thereof, the side edges of the bar are beveled on the underside thereof, and the bar comprises an abrasion-resistant material selected from the group consisting of tungsten carbide and other hard carbides. 